Hector Arana always lectured his four kids from birth on the values of dedication and persistence. On Sunday in Pomona, Ca, he validated his lessons.

“I always told them that if you believe in something, you don’t give up and keep working,” Arana said. “When things were harder, I just worked even harder. My determination was even more. Quitting was never anything I considered.”

Arana has four children, and he remembered in his early years of non-competitive, sporadic participation, how they used to follow his performance.

“My kids were growing up and when I’d get home, they’d run up to me and ask, ‘Dad did you win the race?”

Hector Arana always lectured his four kids from birth on the values of dedication and persistence. On Sunday in Pomona, Ca, he validated his lessons.

“I always told them that if you believe in something, you don’t give up and keep working,” Arana said. “When things were harder, I just worked even harder. My determination was even more. Quitting was never anything I considered.”

Arana has four children, and he remembered in his early years of non-competitive, sporadic participation, how they used to follow his performance.

“My kids were growing up and when I’d get home, they’d run up to me and ask, ‘Dad did you win the race?”

“They did that every time until they became teenagers and then they stopped asking me. They don’t even ask me now whether I qualify or not. Then it hit me what am I teaching my kids?”

Then his longtime lesson became apparent – never give up despite the circumstances you face.

“If I am working so hard that I give up vacations and holidays, working day and night, and I have yet to accomplish what I am working for and they might look at and wonder if it will take 20 years,” Arana said with a smile.

As fate would have it, two of Arana’s sons, Adam and Hector, assisted their dad at the 2008 NHRA Summit Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, when he captured his first career national event victory.

“To me it was the most important thing that they saw that lesson firsthand,” Arana said. “They saw if you work hard and believe in yourself, it will come. It will happen.”

That victory only served as motivation for more and eventually led to an association with Lucas Oil teammate Larry Morgan. Morgan helped Arana to push the envelope further.

“I don’t know if Larry took it as a joke, but he told me to get the cylinder head and bring it to his shop and he would see what he could do for me,” Arana explained. “I didn’t ship it. I drove it there. He was surprised to see me there. He looked over the head and told me not to worry that I would be in good shape.”

That association with the veteran Pro Stock driver is where he believes his run for the championship began.

Never mind the three national event wins, seven pole positions and world record along the way. The day he aligned himself with Morgan, is the day Arana believes his run for the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock Motorcycle title began.

“When Larry gives you more performance, your confidence is higher,” Arana said. “He took away a lot of the pressure. To have the horsepower was great. Those bonus points that I got from qualifying No. 1 added up for me to be here and win this championship.”

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